Case Lens on ‘Team Player' In the Backdrop of Hollywood Movie, The Longest Yard*

Teaching Note Preview

Case Lens on ‘Team Player' In the Backdrop of Hollywood Movie, The Longest Yard

Synopsis

This Case Lens helps understand the concept of team player in the backdrop of Hollywood movie, The Longest Yard. The movie focuses on the story of Paul Crewe (Paul), a renowned football player who at one time also held the title of ‘Most Valuable Player’ of the National Football League. Paul was banned from playing professional football on federal racketeering charges for shaving points in a professional football game although the charges were never proven. Later, Paul was sent to Allenville Federal Penitentiary on charges of theft and drunken driving. In the prison, Warden Rudolf Hazen (Hazen), a football enthusiast, assigns him the task of assembling a team of convicts to play a tune-up match against the football team of prison guards. Paul, with his abilities is able to form a team of convicts by winning their trust. He showcases the qualities of an effective team leader as well as an effective team player. Even the convicts on his team turn out to be effective team players and to the surprise of the warden and everyone else, the team of convicts wins the game. This Case Lens helps understand the qualities of an ideal team player while also throwing light on the team leader’s ability to assemble a crack team for a purpose.

Prerequisite Viewing/Mandatory Viewing

The students/participants need to mandatorily watch the movie The Longest Yard. Honoring all the expected IPR issues, every participant must be encouraged to acquire a copy of the movie through legally approved means and format. The temptation of either exhibiting the movie in the classroom or the students/participants downloading the movie from any hosting sites should be desisted lest we set unwarranted precedents in violating mandatory IPRs.

Classroom Orchestration

This Case Lens (video consisting the introduction and the accompanying five questions) can be orchestrated in the classroom in the following suggested flow:

1. Asking the students/participants to view the movie 2-3 days before the classroom discussion2. Playing/exhibiting the Case Lens video in the classroom3. Ideally, the class should be divided into four Learning Teams. One of the questions can be dealt by the faculty and the remaining four can be assigned to the four Learning Teams. After giving them about 15 minutes, the classroom discussion/analysis should be attempted. This can be executed either by asking one of the teams randomly to present their analysis or each team should be allowed to lead a discussion for each of the questions4. Each question would take varying times [the suggested timings are given in Exhibit (TN)-I] and it is highly recommended that the last 5 minutes should be spent on debriefing and synthesizing. The debriefing segment should be used to synthesize the expected learning outcomes of this Case Lens.

Case Lens Positioning and Setting

This Case Lens as a pedagogical tool can be used for either of the following:

• MBA Programs: To teach courses in Organizational Behavior to help understand the concept of Team Player and how a team can be built to achieve a specific purpose• Executive Development Programs/MDPs: To help the participants understand the importance of being a team player and the ways in which one can become an effective team player

Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Case Lens discussion/analysis, each of the participants/students should be able to understand/appreciate:

• The process of building a (crack) team and mobilizing the same for a purpose• The qualities of a leader that enable him/her to assemble a (crack) team• The qualities of an ideal team player

Assignment Questions

The assignment questions, as outlined in the Case Lens video, are:

I. Based on the movie, what are the lessons that you draw about being a team player? Can you analyze the qualities of Paul Crewe’s team members which enabled them to be effective team players? You can look at it from the point of view of ‘PEACE’, identified for this Case Lens.

II. In the prison, everyone hated Paul for point shaving in a professional football match (00:21:26-00:21:33). However, the inmates agree to join his team and abide by what he says? How was Paul able to win them over? According to you, what is the process of putting together a team to achieve a purpose?

III. ......................

Preamble to the Case Lens Discussion

This Case Lens focuses on the qualities of an ideal team player and also enables a discussion on the team leader’s ability to assemble a crack team for a purpose. Assuming that the students/participants would have watched the movie before the classroom discussion, this Case Lens poses a series of questions which help identify the qualities of an effective team player. The questions also enable an understanding of the process through which a team leader can build a‘crack’ team to achieve a specific purpose...........

Case Lens: Classroom Discussion and Analysis

I. Presentation by Learning Team 1

Based on the movie, what are the lessons that you draw about being a team player? Can you analyze the qualities of Paul Crewe’s team members which enabled them to be effective team players? You can look at it from the point of view of ‘PEACE’, identified for this Case Lens.

Members from Learning Team 1 started the discussion on this question by attempting to help understand the meaning of team player. They listed out the characteristics which according to them were the identifying characteristics of a team player, which is illustrated in Exhibit (TN)-III...........

Exhibits

Exhibit (TN)-I: The Case Lens’ Classroom Orchestration

Exhibit (TN)-II: Discussion Questions

Exhibit (TN)-III: Identifying Characteristics of a Team Player

Exhibit (TN)-V: PEACE in Paul’s Team

Exhibit (TN)-VI: Ways to Become a Team Player

Exhibit (TN)-VII: The Process of Assembling the Crack Team at Allenville Federal Penitentiary

Exhibit (TN)-VIII: TEAM Qualities of Paul as a Team Leader

Exhibit (TN)-IX: PEACE in Paul Crewe as a Team Player

Exhibit (TN)-X: Qualities and Role of Caretaker and Nate Scarborough

Exhibit (TN)-XI: The 9 Belbin Team Roles

Exhibit (TN)-XII: Relationship between Trust and Cohesiveness in a Team

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Abstract

This Case Lens on ‘Team Player’ is based on the Hollywood movie, The Longest Yard. It showcases the interesting story of Paul Crewe (Paul), a renowned football player who was banned from playing professional football on federal racketeering charges for shaving points in a professional football game. Later, he is sent to the prison on charges of theft and drunken driving.

Although the whole world looks down upon him, in the prison, warden Hazen gives him the mandate of building a football team of convicts to play a tune-up match against the prison guards. In the process, Paul along with Caretaker, who was his first friend in the prison, unites the inmates against the guards. Paul assembles a close-knit and powerful football team wherein each member proves to be a true team player and eventually leads to victory of the convicts’ team.

This Case Lens helps identify the characteristics of an ideal team player and what it takes for a leader to assemble a team for a specific purpose. This Case Lens guides one on the ways to be an effective team player and also throws light on the importance of trust in building a team for a specific purpose.

Pedagogical Objectives

To understand the process of building a (crack) team and mobilizing the same for a purpose

To identify the qualities of a leader that enable him/her to assemble a (crack) team

To understand and analyze the qualities of an ideal team player

Case Lens Positioning and Setting

This Case Lens as a pedagogical tool can be used for either of the following:

MBA Programs: To teach courses in Organizational Behavior to help understand the concept of Team Player and how a team can be built to achieve a specific purpose

Executive Development Programs/MDPs: To help the participants understand the importance of being a team player and the ways in which one can become an effective team player

*It should be noted that participants/ students are expected to see the movie before they participate in a classroom discussion/analysis of any of the CASELENS’ products

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